"""creating music – creating cultures"" – a great intention, an exceptional project and a unique concept that encouraged creative students and versatile teachers. It built bridges between tradition and the modern world, analogue and digital channels, processes of school development as well as public representation and mainly builds up a link between European cultures, people and educational institutions. Based on the anchored friendship and cooperation between the schools ""Grund- und Gemeinschaftsschule Pönitz"" and ""ESPAMOL"" in Lagoa/Portugal this project was pursuing diverse targets: First, teachers received the possibility for upskilling in order to discover new ways of intercultural and musical transfer. Second, students did boost their musical skills by arranging music to new music together with their exchange partners of the partner school during the mutual visits. Third, new methodologies as working with digital media were introduced. Fourth, both, students and teachers strengthened their intercultural competences and opened their horizon. Music is central in this project and served as a gate opener. It connected the students likewise a mutual ribbon that removed barriers and conveys solidarity from the start. The 24 students (class grades 8 – 10) and four teachers were looking forward to product-oriented learning, artistic co-work on interesting topics. Within a creative process the influence of both (music) cultures was joined. The students learned about the language and lyrics, typical instruments and specific melodies of both countries. At the same time, the project considered for the latest development in the musical area and songs students are currently listening to in their leisure time. The outcome was going to be new arranged songs created by the students themselves along the entire production process: music theory, melody, instruments, lyrics, recordings and presentation on public concerts. The project was supported by digital media expertise and the existing infrastructure in the partner school “Grund- und Gemeinschaftsschule Pönitz”. Its competence regarding digital education and production was rewarded several times by the federal education institute and stated a national example. This leaded to future-oriented, border-crossing synergies: WebJam-Sessions, live-streams and the professional production of music in a high-standard recording studio and media lab in Pönitz. Finally, the target is to preserve the results for the future by playing the arranged songs beyond the current project. This is realized by being flexible in terms of time and location-independency extending the actually scheduled duration of the project. The Portuguese partner school benefited from the experience in the area of creative and interactive working with digital media. In the future, “ESPAMOL” is planning to increase their development in this area. Considering the broad variety of demand in musical activities in “ESPAMOL” apart the regular lessons, the German school was interested in learning about possibilities to implement a cooperation with the local music school. This leads now into the new KA2 project. The third party, the students, benefited in many ways: First, we intensified the European idea in both rural located schools. Second, they received the unique possibility to intensively learn about differences and commonalities regarding music and the society of both cultures. Third, tolerance and openness were experienced in the real live without the barriers of prejudice in terms of social equality, income and education levels. Beyond, the students did make friends for the rest of their lives. Both schools not only intensified their established relationship, which so far was restricted to mutual visits. This enhanced project initiative considered opportunities of innovation with the help of modern digital media. Moreover, the project encouraged the planned interconnection between both cities on a municipal level (sister-city arrangements). Our long-term goal was our passion: Music is a global language that builds bridges, music is culture and creates cultures at the same time, music is language and communication at all levels: creating music – creating cultures."

“A Europe Revue: Music and theatre in the European perspective“ – according to this title, we aim to bring both schools from Germany and Portugal on stage. With the help of their teachers, students and coaches from the cooperation partner Music University in Lübeck we want to create a music and theatre show with a European topic. The project is implemented in the emerging partnerships of both municipalities. An official cooperation agreement should take place in the context of this exchange and presentations. Additionally, both schools wish to utilize the synergy effects to implement a music-profile system in their schools by creating a related project topic: Students in Lagoa/Portugal have the possibility to choose the “Articulado” (a music course with an appropriate specialisation and cooperation with the local music school “ARTIS”). Students in Pönitz/Germany have the ability to join the new established upper secondary school level with a musical and esthetic focus. The first-time access to the newly established upper secondary school level should be enriched by the European focus, language development und the creative and artistic initiative. Coincidently, also students from other schools might get aware of our upper secondary school level and its merits. Together with their four teachers of the music department and the department of performing arts and with the help of coaches of the Music University in Lübeck, respectively 16 students from Portugal and Germany simultaneously develop the musical and theatrical content at their school. Thereby, the students from the Music University in Lübeck gain important practical experience for their teacher training.Two learning, teaching and training activities that focus on advanced teachers’ education enable the teachers in the first year of the project to become acquainted, to exchange and to acquire knowledge in methodology and educational content within the scope of different workshops. In turn, this knowledge will be deployed at both schools together with their students. In this regard, students of both schools in Portugal and Germany should be partly involved in these activities in order to enrich the common teachers’ educational program. The methodology of teachers’ preparation and the subsequent student exchanges should provide the project with the necessary stringency and demand orientation. Together, this will facilitate the project goal attainment and the compliance with the quality criteria.At both rural based schools, we aim to provide students with the unique possibility to gain intercultural experience by physically and virtually connecting to students of the same age from another country and working together on a common project with the help of innovative methodology and content: digitality, creativity as well as self-competence in the context of presentations on stage are only examples of the measures with which the attendees are realising their own project.The added value on the European level is already defined: Two schools that collaborate on a creative and innovative European project and create a school intern and extern framework are internationally connected and give the European perspective a new dimension. In this framework, the municipality partnership is accompanied, and the own implementation of the upper secondary school level is enabled. In the context of the continuous impact and the (digital) spreading (e. g. by publishing the video recordings online), this project will be recognized school intern as well as extern thorough its diversity as well as its regional and transregional relevance and will be sustainably available.The multidisciplinary collaboration between music and performing arts, the inclusion of language development in English as well as the steadily cooperation in teams will enable teachers and students to gain important experience and increase their competences beyond the regular school lessons. In particular, following the prioritisation that the basic competences and key skills are promoted, the music theory and practice on the one hand and the theatrical presentations and creative writing on the other hand provide substance for the students in order to gain the targeted increase of competences which enable expert knowledge for a more intensive and a finally succeeded passage to the upper secondary school level.In combination with the development of new (school) partnerships and joint collaboration as well as the steady communication in German, Portuguese and English in particular, this application presents an innovative and individual approach that follows the demand analysis to accomplish a realistic project of highest quality.

"ContextThe District Administrator Gruber School Dieburg in Germany annually conducts the computer-based business game ""Wirtschaftswochen Aktiengesellschaft"" (WIWAG), which is part of the curriculum of the vocational high school. During four days, students and teachers experience economic interrelationships in companies using practical examples. Over the course of several fiscal years, the participants analyze, formulate and optimize decisions and adapt them strategically. The simulation software was developed by the Ernst Schmidheiny Foundation and sponsored by the Joachim Herz Foundation in Germany.This project International Business Game WIWAG (ISCBG) represents an international orientation of the simulation of business processes and thus contributes to the international cooperation of vocational schools in Europe.Activities/MethodBesides a kick-off event with simulation software training and a final event with project evaluation and planning of the continuation of the cooperation) five meetings with the students are the main focus of the project. The students or trainees will come from the Department of Economics and Administration and will participate in the business game International Business Game WIWAG. The technical basis of these meetings will be concepts of corporate management and the control of operational processes with the help of simulation software. The students manage companies and make decisions which, parallel to the technical content, are designed to train language skills and social competences as well as skills in conflict and problem solving. The business management decisions concern processes relating to investment issues, marketing measures, environmental policy and product quality and personnel planning in different economic cycles in Europe. A major challenge for the students will be to hold a general meeting in which shareholders are given accountability for business development.The plan, which is long-term at the beginning of the project, will be regularly adjusted and optimised during the implementation. The business game is implemented in repetitive processes (sprints) with different students and is an intermediate product of the project based on the project method Scrum.Number and profile of participantsDue to personal experience, the activities will not only benefit about 150 students from the five partner countries, who will be the workers of Europe after their school careers. By using the simulation software and the accompanying materials, about 40 teachers will also gain a better understanding of complex business and economic interrelationships in Europe and get to know the WIWAG business game as a new teaching method. All participants will come from the Department of Economics and Administration. The students are expected to be between 16 and 20 years old.GoalsThe objectives include the knowledge of being able to acquire technical basics in a playful way on a European level, to make intercultural experiences and to build up and extend school cooperation. The pupils and teachers work for this purpose in intercultural, transnational working groups, which make a targeted contribution to school development on the basis of the assignments. An exchange between teachers about different teaching methods and computer-based systems of operational processes is promoted.As a result, all documents plus a manual for the independent implementation of the business game on an international level will be published. This should provide added value for schools in Europe. Furthermore, the project partners are striving for cooperation in the area of Key Actions 1 and 2, which will continue beyond the project duration."

As we continue to walk together in the creation process of a European Union with recognisable values and beliefs shared by all state members and their citizens, projects that emphasise integration across countries and place citizenship at the core of their programmes are still deemed the most relevant. Indeed, for a strong European Union to become a reality, cultural diversity and differences are to be celebrated while identifying those aspects we all have in common and which help us to define ourselves as Europeans. The importance of sports as a means of social integration, which is the main focus of this project, is therefore one more specific objective to reach that broader goal of creating a Union that caters for every single citizen. Project objectives were designed taking all of this into account. Firstly, highlighting the things we share and analysing common roots through sports, studying the evolution of sports across Europe and their role in society, and identifying the connection between the human body and physical activity. Secondly, sharing different sport practices and lifestyles from each country, together with people’s attitude towards Physical Education, helped us to focus on the differences and boost the participants’ critical thinking skills. Comparing the similarities and differences between the educational systems and sharing innovative practices and methodologies carried out by participating teachers also contributed to improve understanding between state members so that new ideas can be incorporated into their daily lives. Finally, cooperation between teachers, students and parents, and the use of digital tools along the project and English as a means of communication to help with this, provided a framework in which interpersonal skills were put into practise in order to negotiate meaning and reach a common goal. Five secondary education schools from different socio-economic backgrounds and different geographical areas, both rural and urban, have participated in the project. A myriad of activities were carried out, taking the needs and goals of the project into account, but also the interests and motivations of all participating members. These included formal student-led debates, research-based oral presentations, speaker conferences to get expertise knowledge, and teacher forums in which the different educational systems were analysed, and specific, innovative practices in P.E. were shared. As a result of these activities, and according to the different types of assessments that were carried out along the process, not only have all participating members demonstrated a significant improvement in their foreign language skills, but also in public speaking, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Digital competence was boosted, as have critical values such as cross-cultural understanding, responsibility or self-esteem. Teacher and student accountability, crucial in collaborative and cooperative settings, was also key in working to meet the pre-established goals. All of this has resulted in an increase of awareness by members as far as physical activity and its effects on one’s well-being are concerned. While many of the above-mentioned results do have far-reaching implications and longer-term benefits, formal debating is an area which schools have decided to introduce into their school programmes and integrate across the different areas. Another area which seems to have created an impact is the need for high-quality bilingual education models to be introduced in those systems with no similar models.

One of the most important roles of education, and especially vocational education, is the promotion of entrepreneurial behaviours and attitudes, since the development of employees’ entrepreneurial thinking can contribute to the positive development of different economic indexes. With our project we tried to:encourage and boost the entrepreneurial spirit of young people and of secondary education students, introduce the notion of ‘teacherpreneur’ and to define his/her role in the educational system, provide opportunities for thought and research regarding the idea of innovation and the ways in which it can be used so as to improve and boost middle businesses,introduce students and teachers into the world of newly-found enterprises, andcreate the basis for the development of a culture which can lead students to become entrepreneurs as a basic outlet for employability.Taking into consideration that entrepreneurship is a person’s ability to convert ideas into actions, and that it is a fundamental skill which every human must possess, education and training can help young people to become more creative and it can boost their self-confidence in everything they undertake.Partners in this project were educational institutions from six European countries. The project’s coordinator was the 1st EPA.L. of Karditsa. It is a technical vocational school, the director and teachers of which are in a constant search of ways that lead to the globalization and modernization of the school. The participating countries were: the Public Education Vocational Institute of Beccaria, Italy (in Sardenia), the Martin-Behaim Technical Vocational School from Darmstadt, Germany, the Teachers’ Training Center from the municipalities of Albufeira and Lagoa Silves, Portugal, the Junior High School of Prosz\owice, Poland, and a Vocational Center from Tigru Mures, Romania.The activities which were materialized throughout the project were:recording of the current state of affairs regarding the ways in which entrepreneurship is introduced, embodied and promoted in schools, dissemination of the research results to all the institutions involved, so that they can take initiatives. The dissemination activities included publications in the press and on the Internet, seminars, visits to institutions relevant with educational and employability policies (like the Secondary Education Directorates, Chambers of Commerce, Municipalities, Development Companies, Employer and Employee Unions),presentations of the project’s activities and goals to international meetings,informatory visits from mentors of entrepreneurship, from the private sector and from labour market organizations,visits to medium businesses for the information of students and teachers regarding the way in which they work,co-operations and participation of schools in activities organized by the Youth Entrepreneurship Union,creation / production of support material for students and teachers, where techniques are developed and tools are suggested so as to support the incorporation of entrepreneurship to the school environment,creation of student and teacher groups who actually used the educational material in an effort to turn ideas into actions,briefing of parents to help them realize that entrepreneurship is a basic choice for employability.The partner group enabled all organizations to exchange good practices followed in their countries, to adjust techniques to their own standards, to develop activities which promote the notions of teacherpreneur and creative thinking, to set structured frameworks and procedures in the search for entrepreneurial opportunities and their materialization.The participation of teachers, students and the genuine interest shown by the formal educational institutions and the labour market is evident in their interest to make changes, not only as regards the curriculum, but also the way in which the school is linked to the labour market and interacts with it.